Systems, apparatus, and methods for using a wearable device to confirm the identity of an individual

ABSTRACT

A wearable device includes at least one sensor for obtaining a unique identifier from the wearer when the wearer and for transmitting the unique identifier to one or more computer processors for use in determining whether the wearer is a particular individual. The wearable device may also include a wireless communications device for transmitting a signal (e.g., to a remote computing device) that confirms the identity of the wearer as the particular individual. A remote computing device, or other device, or individual, may then, based at least in part on receiving the signal, grant wearer access to a computer program, computing system, and/or a particular physical space.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/594,898, filed May 15, 2017, entitled “Systems, Apparatus, andMethods for Using Eyewear, or Other Wearable Item, to Confirm theIdentity of an Individual,” which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/588,122, filed Dec. 31, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No.9,649,052, issued May 16, 2017, entitled “Systems, Apparatus, andMethods for Using Eyewear, or Other Wearable Item, to Confirm theIdentity of an Individual,” which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 62/046,406, filed Sep. 5, 2014, entitled“Wearable Health Computer Apparatus, Systems, and Related Methods,” thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety.

BACKGROUND

Currently, users must often provide a password and/or produce otheridentifying information to gain access to a particular computer system,particular computer program, or to a particular building or secure areawithin a building. This can be inconvenient and time consuming.Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems, apparatus, andmethods for facilitating access, by an individual, to computer systems,computer programs, and secure areas.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

It should be appreciated that this Summary is provided to introduce aselection of concepts in a simplified form that are further describedbelow in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to beused to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

According to a first aspect of the disclosure, a computer-implementedmethod is provided for providing a particular individual with access toa computer system or computer program. The method includes receiving awireless signal from a wearable device. The wireless signal includes aunique identifier associated with the particular person. In response toreceiving the wireless signal, the unique identifier is compared with astored identifier for the particular individual. In response todetermining that the unique identifier at least partially matches thestored identifier, the particular individual is provided with access tothe computer system or computer program.

According to another aspect, a system for confirming an identity of anindividual is provided. The system includes a wearable device having oneor more processors, one or more sensors in communication with theprocessors, and at least one electronic communications device incommunication with the processors. The electronic communications deviceis adapted to broadcast a wireless signal that has a unique identifierassociated with a particular individual wearing the wearable device. Thewireless signal is configured to be received by a remote computer systemthat uses the unique identifier to compare to a stored identifier forthe particular individual so that the remote computer system can allowthe particular individual access to one of the remote computer system, asecure area associated with the remote computer system, or a paymentsystem associated with the remote computer system.

According to yet another aspect, a system for confirming an identity ofan individual is provided. The system includes a wearable device havingone or more processors operative to receive a unique identifierassociate with the individual from one or more sensors. The system alsoincludes one or more electronic communications devices in communicationwith the processors and configured to broadcast a wireless signal thathas a unique identifier associated with the individual wearing thewearable device. The wireless signal is configured to be received by aremote computer system that uses the unique identifier to compare to astored identifier for the individual so that the remote computer systemcan allow the individual access to one of the remote computer system, asecure area associated with the remote computer system, or a paymentsystem associated with the remote computer system.

The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can beachieved independently in various embodiments of the present disclosureor may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of whichcan be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of systems and methods for confirming the identityof an individual are described below. In the course of this description,reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an Identity Confirmation System inaccordance with an embodiment of the present system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the Identity Confirmation Server of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart that generally illustrates various stepsexecuted by an Identity

Confirmation Module according to a particular embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary wearable health monitoring device of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

Various embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that theinvention may be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to thoseskilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Overview

Eyewear, according to various embodiments, includes one or moreelectronic devices (or other devices) that are used to confirm theidentity of the wearer and to facilitate identifying the wearer of theeyewear to one or more individuals or computing devices. For example,the eyewear may include one or more biometric sensors that are adaptedfor selectively confirming that the individual wearing the eyewear is,in fact, the owner of the eyewear (or other specific individualassociated with the eyewear). In various embodiments, the eyewear may beconfigured to, at least partially in response to confirming theindividual's identity, communicate the individual's identity to a remotecomputing device. The eyewear may do this, for example, by broadcastinga unique identification code associated with the user via Near FieldCommunications, Bluetooth, or any other suitable wireless communicationstechnology. This may be useful, for example, in allowing a user toaccess a computing system or secure area without presenting any otherform of physical identification, and/or without entering a password orpasscode.

A wearable identity confirmation system, in various embodiments, may,for example, be embodied in any suitable wearable device configured toconfirm the identity of a wearer. The system may, for example, beembodied as a pair of eyewear (e.g., eyeglasses or goggles), contactlenses, a wristwatch, a suitable piece of clothing (e.g., such as asuitable shirt, pair of pants, undergarment, compression sleeve, etc.),footwear, a hat, a helmet, an orthopedic cast, or any other suitablewearable item. In a particular example, an identity confirmation systemis embodied as a pair of computerized eyewear.

In various embodiments, the system comprises one or more sensorsconfigured to determine the wearer's identity. The one or more sensorsmay be coupled to the wearable device in any suitable way. For instance,the one or more sensors may be embedded into the wearable device, and/oroperatively coupled to the wearable device. The one or more sensors mayinclude, for example, one or more wireless communications devices (e.g.,one or more near field communications devices (e.g., an NFC Chip), oneor more Bluetooth devices (e.g., a Bluetooth chip)), one or more GPSunits, one or more RFID tags, one or more fingerprint readers, one ormore iris readers, one or more retinal scanners, one or more voicerecognition systems, one or more heart rate monitors, one or moreelectrocardiogram (EKG) sensors, one or more electroencephalograms(EEGs), one or more pedometers, one or more thermometers, one or moretransdermal transmitter sensors, one or more front-facing cameras, oneor more eye-facing cameras, one or more microphones, one or moreaccelerometers, one or more blood pressure sensors, one or more pulseoximeters, one or more respiratory rate sensors, one or more bloodalcohol concentration (BAC) sensors, one or more near-fieldcommunication sensors, one or more motion sensors, one or moregyroscopes, one or more geomagnetic sensors, one or more global positionsystem (GPS) sensors, one or more impact sensors, one or more tearsensors, one or more DNA and/or genome sampling devices (e.g., a “lab ona chip” system that may sample and/or analyze DNA and/or genomeinformation for an individual), and/or any other suitable sensors (e.g.,any other suitable biometric sensors). In particular embodiments, thesystem is configured to gather and store data, for example, using theone or more sensors, about the wearer (e.g., such as the wearer's facialcontours, iris patterns, overall facial image, body temperature, userDNA and/or genome sequence information, balance, heart rate, level ofactivity, position, body motion, facial muscle movements, etc.).

Exemplary Technical Platforms

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the relevant field, the presentsystems and methods may be, for example, embodied as a computer system,a method, or a computer program product. Accordingly, variousembodiments may be entirely hardware or a combination of hardware andsoftware. Furthermore, particular embodiments may take the form of acomputer program product stored on a computer-readable storage mediumhaving computer-readable instructions (e.g., software) embodied in thestorage medium. Various embodiments may also take the form ofweb-implemented computer software. Any suitable computer-readablestorage medium may be utilized including, for example, hard disks,compact disks, DVDs, optical storage devices, and/or magnetic storagedevices.

Various embodiments are described below with reference to block diagramand flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatuses, (e.g., systems),and computer program products. It should be understood that each blockof the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, and combinations ofblocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, respectively,can be implemented by a computer executing computer programinstructions. These computer program instructions may be loaded onto ageneral purpose computer, a special purpose computer, or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus that can direct a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memoryproduce an article of manufacture that is configured for implementingthe functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

The computer instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer,partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partlyon a user's computer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on theremote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computermay be connected to the user's computer through any type of network,including but not limited to: a local area network (LAN); a wide areanetwork (WAN); a cellular network; or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider).

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memoryproduce an article of manufacture that is configured for implementingthe function specified in the flowchart block or blocks. The computerprogram instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operationalsteps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus toproduce a computer-implemented process (e.g., method) such that theinstructions that execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in theflowchart block or blocks.

Exemplary System Architecture

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an Identity Confirmation System 100according to particular embodiments. As may be understood from thisfigure, the Identity Confirmation System 100 includes one or moreNetworks 115, one or more Third Party Servers 50, an IdentityConfirmation Server 120 that may, for example, be adapted to execute anIdentity Confirmation Module 300, a Database 140, one or more RemoteComputing Devices 154 (e.g., such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, awearable computing device, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, etc.),and one or more Wearable Devices 156, which may, for example, beembodied as one or more of eyewear, headwear, clothing, a watch, a hat,a helmet, a cast, an adhesive bandage, a piece of jewelry (e.g., a ring,earring, necklace, bracelet, etc.), or any other suitable wearabledevice. In particular embodiments, the one or more computer networks 115facilitate communication between the one or more Third Party Servers 50,the Identity Confirmation Server 120, Database 140, one or more RemoteComputing Devices 154, and the one or more Wearable Devices 156.

The one or more networks 115 may include any of a variety of types ofwired or wireless computer networks such as the Internet, a privateintranet, a mesh network, a public switch telephone network (PSTN), orany other type of network (e.g., a network that uses Bluetooth or nearfield communications to facilitate communication between computingdevices). The communication link between the one or more RemoteComputing Devices 154 and the Identity Confirmation Server 120 may be,for example, implemented via a Local Area Network (LAN) or via theInternet.

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of the architecture forthe Identity Confirmation Server 120 that may be used within theIdentity Confirmation System 100. It should be understood that thecomputer architecture shown in FIG. 2 may also represent the computerarchitecture for any one of the one or more Remote Computing Devices154, one or more Third Party Servers 50, and one or more WearableDevices 156 shown in FIG. 1. In particular embodiments, the IdentityConfirmation Server 120 may be suitable for use as a computer within thecontext of the Identity Confirmation System 100 that is configured forconfirming the identity of a wearer by detecting characteristics of thewearer or the one or more Wearable Devices 156 using signals receivedfrom sensors coupled to the one or more Wearable Devices 156.

In particular embodiments, the Identity Confirmation Server 120 may beconnected (e.g., networked) to other computing devices in a LAN, anintranet, an extranet, and/or the Internet as shown in FIG. 1. As notedabove, the Identity Confirmation Server 120 may operate in the capacityof a server or a client computing device in a client-server networkenvironment, or as a peer computing device in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment. The Identity Confirmation Server 120may be a desktop personal computing device (PC), a tablet PC, a set-topbox (STB), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, aweb appliance, a network router, a switch or bridge, or any othercomputing device capable of executing a set of instructions (sequentialor otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that computing device.Further, while only a single computing device is illustrated, the term“computing device” shall also be interpreted to include any collectionof computing devices that individually or jointly execute a set (ormultiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein.

An exemplary Identity Confirmation Server 120 includes a processingdevice 202, a main memory 204 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flashmemory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM(SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc.), a static memory 206 (e.g., flashmemory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), and a data storagedevice 218, which communicate with each other via a bus 232.

The processing device 202 represents one or more general-purpose orspecific processing devices such as a microprocessor, a centralprocessing unit (CPU), or the like. More particularly, the processingdevice 202 may be a complex instruction set computing (CISC)microprocessor, reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor,very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, or processorimplementing other instruction sets, or processors implementing acombination of instruction sets. The processing device 202 may also beone or more special-purpose processing devices such as an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array(FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), network processor, or thelike. The processing device 202 may be configured to execute processinglogic 226 for performing various operations and steps discussed herein.

The Identity Confirmation Server 120 may further include a networkinterface device 208. The Identity Confirmation Server 120 may alsoinclude a video display unit 210 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD)or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), an alpha-numeric input device 212 (e.g., akeyboard), a cursor control device 214 (e.g., a mouse), and a signalgeneration device 216 (e.g., a speaker).

The data storage device 218 may include a non-transitory computingdevice-accessible storage medium 230 (also known as a non-transitorycomputing device-readable storage medium, a non-transitory computingdevice-readable medium, or a non-transitory computer-readable medium) onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., the IdentityConfirmation Module 300) embodying any one or more of the methodologiesor functions described herein. The one or more sets of instructions mayalso reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory204 and/or within the processing device 202 during execution thereof bythe Identity Confirmation Server 120—the main memory 204 and theprocessing device 202 also constituting computing device-accessiblestorage media. The one or more sets of instructions may further betransmitted or received over a network 115 via a network interfacedevice 208.

While the computing device-accessible storage medium 230 is shown in anexemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term “computingdevice-accessible storage medium” (or “computer readable medium”) shouldbe understood to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“computing device-accessible storage medium” should also be understoodto include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carryinga set of instructions for execution by the computing device and thatcauses the computing device to include any one or more of themethodologies of the present invention. The term “computingdevice-accessible storage medium” should accordingly be understood toinclude, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical andmagnetic media, etc.

Exemplary System Platform

As noted above, a system, according to various embodiments, is adaptedto confirm the identity of a wearer of a wearable device. Variousaspects of the system's functionality may be executed by certain systemmodules, including Identity Confirmation Module 300. The IdentityConfirmation Module 300 is discussed in greater detail below.

Identity Confirmation Module

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of operations performed by an exemplary IdentityConfirmation Module 300, which may, for example, run on the IdentityConfirmation Server 120, or any suitable computing device (such as theone or more Wearable Devices 156 or a suitable mobile computing device).In particular embodiments, the Identity Confirmation Module 300 mayconfirm a wearer's identity and may communicate the wearer's identity toa remote computing device.

The system begins, in various embodiments, at Step 305 by providing awearer with computerized eyewear comprising one or more sensors coupledto the eyewear that are adapted to confirm the identity of the wearerand to facilitate identifying the wearer of the eyewear to one or moreindividuals and/or computing devices. In various embodiments, the systemmay do this by, for example: (1) facilitating delivery of the eyewear toan address associated with a particular individual; (2) facilitatingdistribution of the eyewear from a healthcare worker to the individual;and (3) placing an order of the eyewear from a third party for deliveryto the individual. In other embodiments, this step may be executedmanually (e.g., by a human being) rather than a computer.

The system continues, at Step 310 by using the eyewear to confirm theidentity of the wearer of the eyewear. In various embodiments, theeyewear may confirm the identity of the wearer in any suitable way. Inparticular embodiments, the eyewear may confirm the identity of thewearer using one or more facial characteristics of the wearer. In otherembodiments, the eyewear may confirm the identity of the wearer usingbiometric data received from the one or more sensors (e.g., afingerprint sensor, an iris scanner, a tear or blood sampling device, aDNA and/or genome testing device etc. . . .). In further embodiments,the eyewear may confirm the identity of the wearer by requesting apassword (e.g., an alphanumeric password) from the wearer, receiving apassword from the wearer via any suitable input device (e.g., akeyboard, camera, or microphone), and verifying that the passwordmatches a password associated with the wearer. In some embodiments, theeyewear may confirm the identity of the wearer using voice recognitiontechniques, or any other suitable identity confirmation technique.

In some embodiments, the eyewear may confirm the identity of the wearersubstantially automatically after the wearer puts the eyewear on. Also,in particular embodiments, the eyewear may confirm the identity of thewearer on a substantially periodic basis (e.g., once per second, onceper minute, once per hour, once per day, etc.). For example, the eyewearmay confirm the identity of the wearer every thirty seconds throughoutthe day. In other embodiments, the eyewear may confirm the identity ofthe wearer at least partially in response to receiving an indicationfrom the wearer that the eyewear should confirm the identity of thewearer. For instance, the wearer may speak a voice command to thewearable device requesting that the device scan the wearer's iris. Invarious embodiments, the eyewear may receive an indication from thewearer of when to have the eyewear confirm the identity of the wearer.For example, the eyewear may receive an indication from the wearer tohave the eyewear conduct a retinal scan of the user (e.g., receive atleast one retinal scan) at 8:00 a.m. and at 2:00 p.m. on a particularday. In other embodiments, the eyewear may confirm the identity of thewearer according to an established schedule. In some embodiments, theestablished schedule may be determined randomly. For example, theestablished schedule may be different each day that the eyewear confirmsthe identity of the wearer.

In particular embodiments, the eyewear may receive a request from thewearer to have particular biometric data received from a particularsensor at the same time that the eyewear receives a second particularbiometric data from a second particular sensor. For example, when theeyewear receives biometric data for the wearer's fingerprint, theeyewear may, at least partially in response to receiving the fingerprintdata, also obtain iris data of the wearer's eye from an iris readerassociated with the eyewear. As a further example, the eyewear may beconfigured to simultaneously receive biometric data from both aneye-facing camera and a fingerprint reader associated with the eyewear.

In various embodiments, the eyewear may receive singular biometric datafrom a single sensor associated with the eyewear. For example, theeyewear may receive a single iris scan from the iris reader. In otherembodiments, the eyewear may receive singular biometric data from aplurality of the sensors associated with the eyewear. For instance, theeyewear may receive an iris scan from the iris reader, a fingerprintfrom the fingerprint reader, and a body temperature from thethermometer. In yet other embodiments, the system may receive multiplesets of biometric data from one or more of the sensors. For example, theeyewear may receive multiple fingerprints from the fingerprint readerand/or multiple temperature readings from the thermometer. In variousembodiments, the eyewear, or other computer, may facilitate storing thereceived biometric data in the Identity Information Database 140. Insome embodiments, the eyewear, or other computing device, may associatethe received biometric data with an account associated with the wearer.In other embodiments, the eyewear, or other computing device, mayassociated the received biometric data with an account associated withthe eyewear.

In particular embodiments, the eyewear may confirm the identity of thewearer by comparing the received biometric data to the stored biometricdata. In some embodiments, the eyewear may confirm the identity of thewearer based on the comparison between the received biometric data andthe stored biometric data only when there is a complete match betweenthe received biometric data and the stored biometric data. In otherembodiments, the eyewear may confirm the identity of the wearer based onthe comparison between the received biometric data and the storedbiometric data when there is at least a partial match between thereceived biometric data and the stored biometric data (e.g., at least apredetermined percentage of the received biometric data matches thestored biometric data). For instance, the eyewear may confirm theidentity of the wearer in response to at least about 90 percent of thereceived biometric data matching the stored biometric data. Inparticular embodiments, the eyewear may use any suitable algorithm toconfirm the identity of the wearer.

In various embodiments, the eyewear may confirm the identity of thewearer using a single set of biometric data. For instance, the eyewearmay confirm the identity of the wearer using only the wearer'sfingerprint. In other embodiments, the eyewear may require a pluralityof sets of biometric data to confirm the identity of the wearer. Forexample, the eyewear may only confirm the identity of the wearer afterreceiving a fingerprint, an iris reading, and a retinal scan (or othereye scan) for the wearer.

At Step 315, at least partially in response to confirming the identityof the wearer, the eyewear confirms the identity of the wearer to one ormore individuals and/or computing devices. In various embodiments, theeyewear may confirm the identity of the wearer to one or moreindividuals or computing devices by broadcasting a unique identifierassociated with the wearer. In some embodiments, the eyewear maybroadcast the unique identifier associated with the wearer to one ormore individuals or computing devices substantially automatically atleast partially in response to the eyewear confirming the identity ofthe wearer. In other embodiments, the eyewear may broadcast the uniqueidentifier associated with the wearer to one or more individuals orcomputing devices on a substantially periodic basis (e.g., by thesecond, by the minute, hourly, daily, etc.). For example, the eyewearmay broadcast the identity of the wearer to one or more individuals orcomputing devices every thirty seconds throughout the day. In yet otherembodiments, the eyewear may broadcast the identity of the wearer to oneor more individuals or computing devices substantially continuously(e.g., once every second substantially without pause). In someembodiments, the eyewear may broadcast the identity of the wearer to oneor more individuals or computing devices according to a predeterminedschedule.

In various embodiments, the eyewear may broadcast (e.g., wirelesslybroadcast) the identity of the wearer to one or more individuals and/orcomputing devices at least partially in response to receiving anindication from the wearer that the eyewear should broadcast theidentity of the wearer to one or more individuals or computing devices.For instance, the wearer may speak a voice command to the wearabledevice requesting that the device broadcast the wearer's identity to aremote computing device. In yet other embodiments, the eyewear maybroadcast the identity of the wearer to one or more individuals orcomputing devices at least partially in response to receiving anindication from the one or more individuals or computing devices thatthe eyewear should broadcast the identity of the wearer. For instance, aparticular remote computing device may send a request to the wearabledevice to broadcast the wearer's identity. In various embodiments, theeyewear may receive an indication from the wearer of when to have theeyewear broadcast the identity of the wearer to the one or moreindividuals or computing devices. For example, the eyewear may receivean indication from the wearer to have the eyewear broadcast the wearer'sidentity to a remote computing device at 8:00 a.m. and at 2:00 p.m.every weekday (e.g., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday).

In particular embodiments, the one or more individuals receiving thewearer's broadcast identity information may be the owner of the eyewear,the wearer's employer, the parent and/or guardian of the wearer, etc. Inother embodiments, the one or more computing devices receiving thewearer's broadcast identity information may be any suitable computingdevice (e.g., such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a wearablecomputing device, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, etc.). In someembodiments, the eyewear may broadcast the identity of the wearer to theone or more individuals or computing devices for any suitable reason.For instance, the eyewear may broadcast the identity of the wearer to alaptop computer for the wearer to gain access to the laptop computerwithout having to manually enter a password.

In various embodiments, the step of broadcasting the identity of thewearer to the one or more individuals or computing devices may alsoinclude translating the identity of the wearer into a picture, a name,an ID number, a password, a passcode, an access code, etc. For example,in the course of broadcasting the identity of the wearer to thecomputing device, the eyewear may first translate the identity of thewearer into a password associated with the wearer for one or moreapplications on the computing device, and then broadcast the password inany suitable manner. As a further example, in broadcasting the identityof the wearer to an individual such as the wearer's employer, theeyewear may translate the identity of the wearer into a unique image,such as a picture of the wearer.

Structure of the Eyewear

As shown in FIG. 4, eyewear 400, according to various embodiments,includes: (1) an eyewear frame 410; (2) a first temple 412; and (3) asecond temple 414. These various components are discussed in more detailbelow.

Eyewear Frame

Referring still to FIG. 4, the eyewear 400, in various embodiments, mayinclude any suitable eyewear frame 410 configured to support one or morelenses 418, 420. In the embodiment shown in this figure, the eyewearframe 410 has a first end 402 and a second end 404. The eyewear frame410 may be made of any suitable material such as metal, ceramic, one ormore polymers or any combination thereof. In particular embodiments, theeyewear frame 410 is configured to support the first and second lenses418, 420 about the full perimeter of the first and second lenses 418,420. In other embodiments, the eyewear frame 410 may be configured tosupport the first and second lenses 418, 420 about only a portion ofeach respective lens. In various embodiments, the eyewear frame 410 isconfigured to support a number of lenses other than two lenses (e.g., asingle lens, a plurality of lenses, etc.). In particular embodiments,the lenses 418, 420 may include prescription lenses, sunglass lenses, orany other suitable type of lens (e.g., reading lenses, non-prescriptionlenses), which may be formed from glass or one or more polymers.

The eyewear frame 410 includes a first and second nose pad 422 (notshown in figure), 424, which may be configured to maintain the eyewear400 adjacent the front of a wearer's face such that the lenses 418, 420are positioned substantially in front of the wearer's eyes while thewearer is wearing the eyewear 400. In particular embodiments, the nosepads 422, 424 may comprise a material that is configured to becomfortable when worn by the wearer (e.g., rubber, etc.). In otherembodiments, the nose pads 422, 424 may include any other suitablematerial (e.g., plastic, metal, etc.). In still other embodiments, thenose pads 422, 424 may be integrally formed with the frame 410.

The eyewear frame 410 includes a first and second hinge 426, 428 thatattach the first and second temples 412, 414 to the frame first andsecond ends 402, 404, respectively. In various embodiments, the hinges426, 428 may be formed by any suitable connection (e.g., tongue andgroove, ball and socket, spring hinge, etc.). In particular embodiments,the first hinge 426 may be welded to, or integrally formed with, theframe 410 and the first temple 412 and the second hinge 428 may bewelded to, or integrally formed with, the frame 410 and the secondtemple 414.

First and Second Temples

As shown in FIG. 4, the first temple 412, according to variousembodiments, is rotatably connected to the frame 410 at a right angle toextend the first temple 412 substantially perpendicular, substantiallyparallel, or anywhere in between the right angle to the frame 410. Thefirst temple 412 has a first and second end 412 a, 412 b. Proximate thefirst temple second end 412 b, the first temple 412 includes an earpiece413 configured to be supported by a wearer's ear. Similarly, the secondtemple 414, according to various embodiments, is rotatably connected tothe frame 410 at a right angle to extend the second temple 414substantially perpendicular, substantially parallel, or anywhere inbetween the right angle to the frame 410. The second temple 414 has afirst and second end 414 a, 414 b. Proximate the second temple secondend 414 b, the second temple 414 includes an earpiece 415 configured tobe supported by a wearer's ear.

Sensors

In various embodiments, the second temple 414 has one or more sensors430 connected to the second temple 414. In various embodiments, the oneor more sensors 430 may be coupled to the frame 410, the first andsecond temples 412, 414, the first and second lenses 418, 410, or anyother portion of the eyewear 400 in any suitable way. For instance, theone or more sensors 430 may be embedded into the eyewear 400, coupled tothe eyewear 400, and/or operatively coupled to the eyewear 400. Invarious embodiments, the one or more sensors may be formed at any pointalong the eyewear 400. For instance, a fingerprint reader may bedisposed adjacent the first temple of the eyewear 400. In variousembodiments, the one or more sensors may be formed in any shape. Inaddition, the one or more sensors may be formed on the inner (back)surface of the frame 410, the first and second temples 412, 414, thefirst and second lenses 418, 410, or any other portion of the eyewear400. In other embodiments, the one or more sensors may be formed on theouter (front) surface of the frame 410, the first and second temples412, 414, the first and second lenses 418, 410, or any other portion ofthe eyewear 400.

In various embodiments, the one or more sensors 430 that are coupled tothe eyewear (or other wearable device) are adapted to detect one or morecharacteristics of the eyewear or a wearer of the eyewear, wherein theone or more characteristics of the wearer are associated with thewearer's identity. In various embodiments, the one or more sensorscoupled to the eyewear or other health monitoring device may include,for example, one or more of the following: a near-field communicationsensor, a Bluetooth chip, a GPS unit, an RFID tag (passive or active), afingerprint reader, an iris reader, a retinal scanner, a voicerecognition sensor, a heart rate monitor, an electrocardiogram (EKG), apedometer, a thermometer, a front-facing camera, an eye-facing camera, amicrophone, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a blood pressure sensor, apulse oximeter, a skin conductance response sensor, any suitablebiometric reader, or any other suitable sensor. In some embodiments, theone or more sensors may include a unique shape, a unique code, or aunique design physically inscribed into the eyewear that may be readableby an individual or a remote computing device. In particularembodiments, the sensors coupled to the eyewear may include one or moreelectronic communications devices such as a near field communicationchip, a Bluetooth chip, an active RFID, and a GPS unit.

In various embodiments, the one or more sensors are coupled to acomputing device that is associated with (e.g., embedded within,attached to) the eyewear or other wearable device. In particularembodiments, the eyewear or other wearable device comprises at least oneprocessor, computer memory, suitable wireless communications components(e.g., a Bluetooth chip) and a power supply for powering the wearabledevice and/or the various sensors.

As noted above, the one or more sensors may be coupled to a Bluetoothdevice (e.g., a

Bluetooth communications chip), or other wireless communications device,that is configured to transmit the one or more signals to a handheldwireless device, and the step of using the eyewear to confirm theidentity of the wearer of the eyewear (discussed above in reference toStep 310) further comprises receiving the one or more signals from thewireless handheld device (e.g., via the Internet). In particularembodiments, one or more of the sensors may be detachable from theeyewear. For instance, if a wearer does not need a temperature sensor orother particular sensor, the sensor may be removed from the eyewear.

Functionality of the Eyewear

In various embodiments, different embodiments of the eyewear mayidentify the wearer in any suitable way. In particular embodiments, theeyewear may identify the wearer by broadcasting the identity of thewearer (e.g., always, at a particular time of day, in response toreceiving a request, etc.). In some embodiments, the eyewear maybroadcast the identity of the wearer by communicating a uniqueidentifier to one or more individuals or computing devices withoutindependently confirming the wearer's identity. For example, rather thanconfirming the identity of the wearer before notifying the individual ofthe wearer's identity, the eyewear may interpret possession of theeyewear to mean that the wearer is the owner of the eyewear or haspermission from the owner of the eyewear to use their identity toperform one or more various activities (such as accessing a computer ora secure area). In various embodiments, in broadcasting the wearer'sidentity, the eyewear may transmit the wearer's identity substantiallycontinuously. In certain embodiments, the eyewear may transmit thewearer's identity at least partially in response to receiving a requestfrom a remote computing device for the wearer's identity. In still otherembodiments, the eyewear may transmit the wearer's identity at leastpartially in response to receiving a “transmit identification” requestfrom the wearer of the eyewear.

In particular embodiments, in transmitting the identification of thewearer, the eyewear may display a unique identifier on the outside ofthe eyewear. For example, the eyewear may capture the wearer's image andthen the eyewear may display an OCR readable code, or othermachine-readable code, that is associated with the wearer's identity. Inother embodiments, in transmitting the identification of the wearer, theeyewear may have a unique shape such that the shape of the eyewear is aunique identifier. In still other embodiments, the unique shape of theeyewear in conjunction with the shape of the wearer's face may functionas a unique identifier.

For example, the eyewear may use facial recognition and/or objectrecognition techniques to determine the shape of the eyewear and theshape of the wearer's face.

In other embodiments, the eyewear may identify the wearer by firstconfirming the wearer's identity as the owner of the eyewear and thencommunicating the identity of the wearer (e.g., in any of the waysdiscussed above).

Exemplary User Experience

As discussed above, in various embodiments, the eyewear is adapted toconfirm the identity of the wearer for any suitable reason. Inparticular embodiments, the eyewear may be used to interact (e.g.,substantially automatically, or in response to an activation by one ormore individuals or computing devices) with an adjacent computing device(or other computing device) to automatically confirm the identity of theindividual. Several examples exist to demonstrate the eyewear confirmingthe identity of a wearer.

Identification for Access to a Computer

In a particular example, the eyewear may be used to confirm the identityof a wearer who wishes to access a computerized device (e.g., a handhelddevice), a computer program, or a particular electronic document on acomputing device in order to accomplish a task, thereby eliminating theneed for the wearer to manually enter a password. Before the wearer maygain access to the computerized device using the eyewear, the wearer maycreate an identity with the eyewear that will be used to access thecomputerized device. For instance, the wearer may place the eyewear onthe wearer's face and request that the eyewear scan the wearer's face,eyes, fingerprint, and/or other attributes to determine the wearer'sidentity. The wearer may then create an account on the computerizeddevice and instruct the computerized device to accept the wearer'sidentity from the eyewear as the wearer's password rather than requiringthe wearer to manually enter a password into the computerized device.After setting up the computerized device to accept the wearer's identityfrom the eyewear, while the wearer is wearing the eyewear, the eyewearmay confirm the identity of the wearer thereby eliminating the need forthe wearer to enter a password to gain access to the computerizeddevice.

Continuous Broadcasting of Identity

Similar to the wearer using the eyewear to access a computer, theeyewear may also continuously or intermittently broadcast the wearer'sidentity to access any computing device or application that requires apassword or other authorizing information. For example, after creatingan identity with the eyewear as described above, the wearer may enablevarious computing devices and applications to recognize the wearer'sidentity from the eyewear in lieu of entering a password to access theparticular computer or computer program. Once the wearer has created anidentity, the eyewear may continuously confirm the identity of thewearer by performing a retinal scan or any other suitable scan of thewearer. The eyewear will also continuously broadcast the wearer'sidentity at least partially in response to confirming the wearer'sidentity. This may allow the wearer to access particular computingdevices, computer programs, restricted-access physical locations, etc. .. . by using a unique code sent from the eyewear to a suitable computingdevice without requiring the wearer to manually enter login informationsuch as a username and password. For example, the wearer may walk into aroom where the wearer's laptop computer and mobile phone are located.Although both of these devices require a password to unlock the devices,by walking within range of the devices with the eyewear on andwirelessly broadcasting the wearer's identity, both devices will unlock,thereby providing convenient access to the wearer without the wearerfirst entering an alphanumeric password.

In particular embodiments, the eyewear will cease broadcasting thewearer's identity at least partially in response to the eyeweardetermining that the wearer's identity can no longer be confirmed asthat of a particular individual who is associated with the eyewear(e.g., the owner of the eyewear). For instance, where the wearer hasremoved the eyewear, the eyewear may stop broadcasting the wearer'sidentity as soon as the eyewear is unable to confirm the identity of thewearer due to the increased distance between the eyewear and the wearer.Also, in various embodiments, where the eyewear is worn by someone otherthan the owner of the eyewear, the eyewear will not be able to confirmthe wearer's identity as the owner of the eyewear and may, accordingly,turn off the broadcasting of the wearer's identity. In such anembodiment, the eyewear may, in response to not being able to confirmthe identity of the individual wearing the eyewear as the owner of theeyewear, send a notification to the owner of the eyewear (e.g., thewearer) that the eyewear is being worn by someone other than the wearer.In various embodiments, the eyewear may also capture the identity of thecurrent wearer of the eyewear (e.g., an individual who has stolen theeyewear) using any suitable sensor (e.g., a face-facing camera) in orderto alert a suitable individual of the identity of the individual who iscurrently in possession of the eyewear.

In various embodiments, the eyewear may also capture the identity of anindividual who is determined not to be the owner of the eyewear in orderto create a separate account for that individual so that each wearer ofthe eyewear has a unique identification established with the eyewear inorder to access particular computing devices or applications. This maybe particular suitable for non-prescription eyewear, such as sunglassesand vanity glasses.

Identification for Access to a Particular Area

In addition, the eyewear may be used to confirm the identity of a wearerwho wishes to gain access to a secure area. For example, a secure areasuch as a passenger area of an airport or a secure area of a buildingmay require identification to enter that particular area. In variousembodiments, by wearing the eyewear, the wearer may be able to forgo theprocess of presenting a security badge or other identification to enterthe particular area because the eyewear will confirm the identity of thewearer automatically. For example, in a building that requires asecurity badge to be swiped and a passcode to be entered in order togain access to a particular area, the eyewear may be used to providesubstantially instant access to the area by capturing an image of thewearer's face using the eye-facing camera and a fingerprint of thewearer using the fingerprint reader as the wearer enters an area with acomputing device that communicates directly (e.g., wirelessly) with theeyewear. After receiving the image of the wearer and the wearer'sfingerprint, the eyewear may confirm the identity of the wearer to thecomputing device, which may provide the wearer access to the securedarea (e.g., by unlocking a door to the secured area, or by displaying anindication to a security guard that the individual should be allowed toenter the area).

Identification for Making a Payment

The situation may also arise where the eyewear confirms the identity ofthe wearer who wishes to make a payment for a particular good orservice. In various embodiments, wearing the eyewear may eliminate theneed for the wearer to confirm the wearer's identity before sending awire, paying by credit or debit card, or paying by NFC (e.g., near fieldcommunication via the wearer's phone). Accordingly, in variousembodiments, the eyewear may include wireless payment functionality. Forexample, the wearer may have his or her credit card informationassociated with the wearer's identity stored in the eyewear, or in aremote computing device associated with the eyewear. In the course ofmaking a purchase at a retail location that accepts payment by wirelesscommunications, in lieu of having payment completed via a swipe of thewearer's credit card, the eyewear may confirm the wearer's identity andthen wirelessly communicate the wearer's credit card information to theretailer's payment terminal for use in facilitating payment for aparticular item or service.

Identification for Signing a Document

In various embodiments, the eyewear may confirm the identity of a wearersigning a particular document. For instance, in signing an importantlegal document, the eyewear may confirm the identity of the wearer(e.g., in any suitable manner described above) in order to reduce therisk of fraud, etc. The eyewear may also be used to confirm a wearer'sidentity when no witnesses are available to confirm the wearer'sidentity. The eyewear, in this situation, may use one or more securemeasurements such as a retinal scan, a fingerprint, etc. in order toconfirm the identity of the wearer.

Conclusion

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come tomind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains, havingthe benefit of the teaching presented in the foregoing descriptions andthe associated drawings. For example, while various embodiments abovedescribe certain processes (e.g., confirming the identity of anindividual) as being done by a computing device associated with eyewear,in various embodiments, those processes may be done by a computer thatis remote from the eyewear. For example, the eyewear may transmit afingerprint pattern or other biometric information to a remote server,which would confirm the wearer's identity by matching the biometricinformation to biometric information for the owner of the eyewear thatis stored in a database on the remote server. Therefore, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for the purposes of limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method of providing aparticular individual with access to a computer system or computerprogram, the method comprising: receiving at least one wireless signalfrom a wearable device, the at least one wireless signal comprising aunique identifier associated with the particular individual; at leastpartially in response to receiving the at least one wireless signal,comparing the unique identifier with a stored identifier for theparticular individual; and at least partially in response to determiningthat the unique identifier at least partially matches the storedidentifier, providing the particular individual with access to thecomputer system or computer program.
 2. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: transmitting at leastone wireless signal to the wearable device requesting an identificationsignal from the wearable device, wherein receiving the at least onewireless signal from the wearable device is completed after transmittingthe at least one wireless signal to the wearable device.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing thewearable device, the wearable device comprising: one or more processors;one or more sensors operatively coupled to the one or more sensors; andone or more wireless chips operatively coupled to the one or moreprocessors, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to: generatea signal that confirms the identity of the particular individual; andthe one or more wireless chips are configured to transmit the at leastone wireless signal that comprises the unique identifier associated withthe particular individual.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim3, wherein the one or more sensors is a biometric sensor that isconfigured to identify the particular individual by an attributeselected from a group consisting of: the particular individual's fingerprint; the particular individual's voice; the particular individual'sgait; the particular individual's one or more facial characteristics;the particular individual's iris; the particular individual's tear; theparticular individual's blood; and the particular individual's DNA. 5.The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:determining a biometric reading of the particular individual from thegenerated signal; comparing the biometric reading of the particularindividual with biometric data that is associated with the particularindividual; and at least partially in response to the results of thebiometric reading at least partially matching the biometric dataassociated with the particular individual, generating the uniqueidentifier associated with the particular individual.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier isa passcode associated with the particular individual, and wherein thecomputer system or computer program is selected from a group consistingof: a secure entry system; a password protected computing device; apassword protected smart phone; a password protected alarm system; anelectronic payment system; and an automobile.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein providing the particularindividual with access to the computer system or computer programcomprises deactivating a home alarm system at least partially based onthe unique identifier.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein providing the particular individual with access to the computersystem or computer program comprises executing an electronic payment forthe particular individual at least partially based on the uniqueidentifier.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, whereinproviding the particular individual with access to the computer systemor computer program comprises unlocking an automobile associated withthe particular individual at least partially based on the uniqueidentifier.
 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein thewearable device is selected from a group consisting of: one or morecontact lenses; a wristwatch; at least a portion of a shirt; at least aportion of a pair of pants; at least a portion of an undergarment; atleast a portion of a shirt; at least a portion of a compression sleeve;at least a portion of footwear; at least a portion of a hat; at least aportion of a helmet; at least a portion of an orthopedic cast; anadhesive bandage; and a piece of jewelry.
 11. A system for confirming anidentity of an individual, the system comprising: a wearable devicecomprising: one or more processors; one or more sensors operativelycoupled to the one or more processors; and at least one electroniccommunications device operatively coupled to the one or more processorsand adapted to broadcast a wireless signal comprising a uniqueidentifier associated with a particular individual wearing the wearabledevice, wherein the wireless signal is configured to be received by aremote computer system that uses the unique identifier to compare to astored identifier for the particular individual so that the remotecomputer system can allow the particular individual access to one of theremote computer system, a secure area associated with the remotecomputer system, or a payment system associated with the remote computersystem.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the wearable device isselected from a group consisting of: one or more contact lenses; awristwatch; at least a portion of a shirt; at least a portion of a pairof pants; at least a portion of an undergarment; at least a portion of ashirt; at least a portion of a compression sleeve; at least a portion offootwear; at least a portion of a hat; at least a portion of a helmet;at least a portion of an orthopedic cast; an adhesive bandage; and apiece of jewelry.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or moresensors comprises a biometric sensor configured to capture biometricinformation from the particular individual, the biometric informationselected from a group consisting of: the particular individual's fingerprint, the particular individual's voice, the particular individual'sone or more facial characteristics, the particular individual's iris,the particular individual's tear, the particular individual's blood, andthe particular individual's DNA; and the one or more processors analyzethe captured information from the biometric sensor and generate theunique identifier.
 14. The system of claim 12, wherein: the biometricsensor captures information about the particular individual's gait; andthe one or more processors analyze the particular individuals gaitinformation and generate the unique identifier based on the analyzedgait information.
 15. The system of claim 11, further comprising aremote computer system comprising: one or more processors; memoryoperatively coupled to the one or more processors; and one or moreelectronic communication devices that is operatively coupled to the oneor more processors of the remote computer system, wherein the remotecomputer system is configured to: receive the wireless signal from thewearable device containing the unique identifier associated with theparticular individual; at least partially in response to receiving thewireless signal, compare the unique identifier with a stored identifierfor the particular individual; and at least partially in response todetermining that the unique identifier at least partially matches thestored identifier, allow the particular individual access to one of theremote computer system, a secure area associated with the remotecomputer system, or a payment system associated with the remote computersystem.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the remote computer systemis associated with an automobile and the remote computer system allowsthe particular individual to access the automobile when the uniqueidentifier at least partially matches the stored identifier.
 17. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein the remote computer system is associatedwith a smartphone and the remote computer system allows the particularindividual access to the smartphone when the unique identifier at leastpartially matches the stored identifier.
 18. A system for confirming anidentity of an individual, the system comprising: a wearable devicecomprising: one or more processors operative to receive a uniqueidentifier associated with the individual from one or more sensors; andone or more electronic communication devices operatively coupled to theone or more processors and configured to broadcast a wireless signalcomprising the unique identifier associated with the individual wearingthe wearable device, wherein the wireless signal is configured to bereceived by a remote computer system that uses the unique identifier tocompare to a stored identifier for the individual so that the remotecomputer system can allow the individual access to one of the remotecomputer system, a secure area associated with the remote computersystem, or a payment system associated with the remote computer system.19. The system of claim 18, further comprising the remote computersystem comprising: one or more processors; memory operatively coupled tothe one or more processors; and one or more electronic communicationdevices that is operatively coupled to the one or more processors of theremote computer system, wherein the remote computer system is configuredto: receive the wireless signal from the computerized eyewear containingthe unique identifier associated with the individual; at least partiallyin response to receiving the wireless signal, compare the uniqueidentifier with a stored identifier for the individual; and at leastpartially in response to determining that the unique identifier at leastpartially matches the stored identifier, allow the individual access toone of the remote computer system, the secure area associated with theremote computer system, or the payment system associated with the remotecomputer system.
 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the wearable deviceis selected from a group consisting of: one or more contact lenses; awristwatch; at least a portion of a shirt; at least a portion of a pairof pants; at least a portion of an undergarment; at least a portion of ashirt; at least a portion of a compression sleeve; at least a portion offootwear; at least a portion of a hat; at least a portion of a helmet;at least a portion of an orthopedic cast; an adhesive bandage; and apiece of jewelry.